1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an automotive vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
An automotive vehicle has been proposed that include a motor generator, an inverter circuit that serves to drive the motor generator, a battery that exchanges electric power to the motor generator via the inverter circuit, a system main relay for interrupting a connection between the inverter circuit and the battery, and a discharge resistor and a high-voltage capacitor both of which are connected in parallel between positive and negative electrode buses of a power line provided between the inverter circuit and the system main relay, in which upon prediction of a vehicle collision the system main relay is turned off and an accumulated charge in the high-voltage capacitor is discharged by controlling the inverter circuit for prevention of a generation of torque in the motor generator (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-20952 (JP 2005-20952 A)).
In such an automotive vehicle, ideas have been proposed which include providing a discharge device that is separated from the inverter circuit in order to discharge the charge accumulated in the high-voltage capacitor upon prediction of a vehicle collision or other situation, and for simplifying an overall structure, connecting a motor control device for controlling the motor generator and the discharge device such that a signal can be sent only from the motor control device to the discharge device. Such a configuration may issue a problem in which the motor control device fails to detect an abnormal condition of the discharge device due to the fact that when the discharge device becomes abnormal no signal cannot be transmitted from the discharge device to the motor control device.